Hopi Sikyatki Revival Design Seed Jar [SOLD]

Sikyatki is the name of an enormous ancient Hopi village on the east flank of First Mesa that was abandoned around 1500. The abandonment of Sikyatki is told in Hopi oral tradition as due to a dispute with the villagers of Walpi that resulted in the destruction of Sikyatki. Their descendants still reside on top of First Mesa.

Potters began the revival of Sikyatki pottery designs following the excavations by the Smithsonian and Jesse Walter Fewkes in the 1890s.  Nampeyo of Hano is most famous for her Sikyatki-revival pottery designs. Many of Nampeyo’s family descendants have continued using Sikyatki designs for the past 100 years.

Now, young Mark Tahbo of the famous Grace Chapella family has become intrigued with the Sikyatki designs revived by Nampeyo and has begun to incorporate them into his pottery, such as in this beautifully-designed contemporary small jar. This precisely decorated seed jar has incorporated stylized birds in a symmetrical mirror image. The sweeping bird design starts with a dark brown beak and swirls around to the body of the bird and ends with tail feathers. The other pair of opposing designs are symbolic of the Sikyatki split-tail design.  Tahbo has used the traditional Hopi reds and buffs to create a modern masterpiece.

The winner of multiple awards, Mark Tahbo is an artist whose work is highly sought.

Condition: New

Provenance: from the artist

Recommended Reading: Canvas of Clay: Seven Centuries of Hopi Ceramic Art by Wade and Cooke. This book is currently not available from Adobe Gallery.